5 Hiring Mistakes to Avoid

The hiring process is full of potential pitfalls from slow timelines to managing under or overqualified applicants

So how can organisations streamline their hiring cycle and find the very best candidates?

We take a look at 5 of the most common hiring mistakes, and the steps you can take to avoid them.
1. Interviewing the wrong people

In order to give yourself the best chance of interviewing relevant candidates, it’s important to adopt adequate screening processes, including assessments where appropriate.

Start by putting together a list of essentials – skills or attributes that you simply can’t compromise on, and ensure that you find ways to filter out unsuitable candidates. You may need to use telephone interviews to whittle down your list, as CVs and online research may not always give you enough information.

Taking action to avoid unnecessary interviews is invaluable. It avoids wasted time on both sides and can help to speed up the recruitment process.

2. Asking the wrong questions

Time pressures often mean that hiring managers lack interview preparation time. Consequently, they may adopt a formulaic approach when interviewing, and stick to traditional, well-used questions.

In order to get the most out of the appointment, it’s important to consider whether your questions are really relevant to the role and the candidate. This means taking the time to prepare for each meeting.

Ensure that you block out time in your diary before each interview to pinpoint the questions you need to ask. This will put you in a far stronger position to assess the candidate’s suitability.

3. Not checking references

References are one of the best ways of vetting potential employees. It can be invaluable to get an idea of an applicant’s work ethic, however impressive their CV.

Some candidates can perform very well in interviews; however fail to deliver in the workplace. If you don’t check references, you could unknowingly select the wrong candidate.
4. Disregarding under or overqualified candidates

It’s a common assumption that overqualified candidates are likely to feel unchallenged in their role and are hard to retain.

However, well-qualified candidates won’t always leave if you reward them properly and provide further opportunities for development. You could also be passing up the chance to gain access to a gold mine of information.

Equally, don’t immediately disregard talented candidates lacking in experience (unless this falls under your list of essentials under point 1). By creating a culture of progress and learning, you should be able to nurture the best talent and turn them into loyal, long-term employees.

5. Not Managing Expectations

Always set out to provide clear timelines for your recruitment process and keep expectations clear. This way candidates feel valued and hiring managers spend less time chasing.

If your recruitment process is too convoluted or unclear, your best candidates are likely to lose interest, so aim to set clear expectations from the outset.

If you require support with your hiring process, get in touch with Bucks and Berks today. Our experienced consultants will help you avoid those hiring mistakes and pinpoint the very best candidates.